This application relates generally to paintball guns (or “markers”). The inventive principles disclosed in this application primarily relate to electro-pneumatic paintball guns and components for electro-pneumatic paintball guns, including, among other things, bolt and firing assemblies.
It is common for pneumatic paintball guns, including electro-pneumatic paintball guns, to use firing assemblies and bolt assemblies. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,711 (incorporated herein by reference) the firing assembly includes a firing valve actuated by a separate pneumatic ram assembly, and a bolt coupled to the pneumatic ram assembly through an externally-protruding removable bolt pin. To remove the bolt for maintenance or cleaning, the bolt pin is removed from the gun and the bolt is then allowed to slide out. This bolt pin is a separate part that must be kept track of during cleaning and maintenance.
To avoid loss of the bolt pin, some paintball gun manufacturers have provided bolt pins that do not completely separate from the bolt. These bolt pins typically release from the pneumatic ram assembly by an upward movement of the bolt pin, and can then be slid out of the paintball gun along with the bolt via a channel formed in the paintball gun body. These solutions still maintain an externally protruding bolt pin. Another approach has been to provide a hinged breech block. In this design, the bolt is arranged in the breech block with an integral, internal bolt pin. When a breech pin is retracted, the breech block is permitted to swing open by rotating about its hinge axis, releasing the bolt pin from the pneumatic ram assembly via this swinging movement. While this approach provides a completely internal bolt assembly, it suffers because the breech block may become loose over time and may fail to align itself properly or have a sloppy feel during play. Dirt and other debris can also enter into the breech through gaps between the breech block and the gun body.